him by others. Himself he has given us
little inkling of what his race has felt, and thought and done. Any such
situation, if long enough continued, would make him a negligible factor in
the intellectual life of mankind. But the educated leaders of the race, of
whom our colleges and universities have been turning out hundreds in recent
years, do not propose that this shall come to pass. They are going to show
the Negro that his race is more ancient than the Golden Fleece or Roman
Eagle; that Ethiopia had a history quite as illustrious as that of Nineveh
or Tyre, and that the Negro may well take pride in the rock from which he
was hewn. The few decades of slavery form but a small dark spot in the
annals of long and great achievements. That embodies a fine attitude and
one which should be thoroughly encouraged. It aims to teach the Negro that
he can do his own race the best service by cultivating those hereditary
racial traits which are worth preserving, and not by a fatuous imitation of
his white neighbors.

At any rate, here is a historical journal of excellent scientific quality,
planned and managed by Negro scholars for readers of their own race, and
preaching the doctrine of racial self-consciousness. That in itself is a
significant step forward.

_The Boston Herald._

A new periodical, to be published quarterly, is the journal of "The
Association for the Study of Negro Life and History," a society organized
in Chicago in September, 1915. The commendable aim of the Association is to
collect and publish historical and sociological material bearing on the
Negro race. Its purpose, it is claimed, is not to drift into discussion of
the Negro problem, but to publish facts which will show to posterity what
the Negro has so far thought, felt, and done.

The president of the association, George C. Hall, of Chicago; its
secretary-treasurer, Jesse E. Moorland, of Washington, D.C.; the editor of
the JOURNAL, Carter G. Woodson, also of Washington; and the other names
associated with them on the executive council and on the board of associate
editors, guarantee an earnestness of purpose and a literary ability which
will doubtless be able to maintain the high standard set in the first issue
of the JOURNAL. The table of contents of the January number includes
several historical articles of value, some sociological studies, and other
contributions, all presented in dignified style and in a setting of
excellent paper and type.